1. Field of the Invention.
This invention relates generally to the field of photography, and more particularly to improvements in photographic devices for recording still pictures with artificial illumination.
2. Description of Prior Art.
In cameras which incorporate a flash device that device has primarily served the functions of illuminating the subject of the photography in synchrony with the exposure of the film. Other functions, such as providing a preliminary flash of light to gauge and regulate the amount of light provided simultaneously with exposure of the photographic film have been disclosed. For an example, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,104 issued to Robert Bosch Photokino, GmbH. Additionally, prior art has disclosed electronic flash devices and apparatus which fire preliminary flashes of light to minimize the so called "Red Eye" effect. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,588 issued to Eastman Kodak Company and U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,464 issued to Eastman Kodak Company. Recently, Olympus Optical Company, Ltd. introduced a camera, the Infinity Zoom 200, which contains a flash device which is capable of firing a series of pulsing pre-flashes immediately prior to the firing of the main flash in synchrony with the automatic exposure of film for the purpose of mitigating against the "Red Eye" effect.
It is well known that one of the problems associated with photography in general and flash photography in particular has been obtaining the attention of the subject person or subject persons at the moment when the photographer causes the film to be exposed to the light emanating from the image of the person or persons being photographed. Commonly, photographers ask their subject to say a word (e.g. cheese, underwear) in order to inform them that their picture is about to be taken. Individuals often attempt to gain the attention of children and infants by similar means by using objects such as toys to orient the child or infant toward the camera.
Anyone who has tried the above mentioned methods with infants or young children who do not comprehend the nature of such prompting or with groups of individuals where extraneous noise or conversation exist has encountered both diffuculty and failure in orienting the gaze of his subject or the gaze of all of his subjects toward himself and the camera. Often, after employing the above mentioned methods as means of orienting his subject or subjects toward the camera, the photographer causes the film within his camera to be exposed to the image of his subject or subjects at a time when his subject's gaze is not directed towards the camera or when one or more persons, in a group, are not directing their gaze toward the camera. This has resulted in what will be termed the "Lost Picture" phenomenon.
When the lost picture phenomenon occurs, the photographer who seeks a picture wherein his subject or subjects are gazing at him and his camera does not achieve this objective until shortly after the flash fires. When the flash has fired and the subject or subjects gaze or gazes become oriented toward the camera, the electronic flash device of camera is incapable of immediately generating a second flash which the photographer could utilize for the illumination of the image or images of his subject or subjects in synchrony with the exposure of film within his camera. Within the limits of time that it takes for all cameras with electronic flash devices heretofore known to recycle so as to be capable of generating a subsequent flash that attention of the subject or subjects is likely to have been lost again.
Prior art has not revealed any photographic device for recording still pictures which incorporates an electronic flash device which would allow a photographer to emit any preliminary flash or flashes that would be capable of gaining the attention of a human subject without triggering a mechanism that will result in the exposure of photographic film within the camera. As well, prior art has not revealed any electronic flash devices which by and of themselves would provide one photographer with the ability to fire a flash of light from such a unit while holding a camera within a fixed plane of view in order to obtain a still photograph of a human subject or subjects whose gaze has become oriented towards the camera as a result of the flash of light from the independent electronic flash device without the assistance of a tripod to stabilize the physical location of the camera with a fixed plane or without the assistance of an other human being for the purpose of holding and firing the independent electronic flash device.
Although prior art has disclosed electronic flash devices which would enable a photographer to fire a preliminary flash of light from such devices without causing the exposure of any film within a camera by virtue of the fact that said electronic flash devices are not physically combined with and do not require the involvement of a camera in order to fire a flash of light, the use of these devices by a photographer in conjunction with the subsequent and near simultaneous use of a camera incorporating an electronic flash device does not offer a workable or practical solution to the lost picture phenomenon. This is so because use of electronic flash devices which are independent of any camera unit would require the photographer to hold and fire said electronic flash device with one hand while holding his camera with the other. In this arrangement, and unless either another individual were involved in the operation of the independent electronic flash device or unless a tripod was used to hold the camera in the correct plane of view, the photographer's ability to hold the camera steady in the correct plane of view necessary to obtain the desired photograph is severely compromised.